It ain’t over until it’s over. The 2007-2008 legislative session ended in the wee hours of August 1. The final twists yielded stunning successes for environmental advocates.
Environment
airplane noise, carbon and climate, cell towers, flooding, land use issues, parks and recreation, pfas, waste/hazards, water issues
Further legislative progress on the silver maple forest acquisition
Thanks to Senator Tolman, the Silver Maple Forest language described below is now also in the Senate version of the Environmental Bond Bill.
Legislative progress on the silver maple forest acquisition
I’m pleased to report some progress on the Silver Maple Forest issue.
How will China’s growth affect carbon strategy?
China is a gigantic wild card with the potential to substantially extend the growth of carbon emissions world wide, even if developed nations get their emissions under control. China is unlikely to control its emissions without dramatic assistance or heavy economic pressure from developed nations.
What is the carbon level we need to stabilize at?
To stop making the problem worse, we need to stabilize CO2 levels in the atmosphere — we need to stop putting out more CO2 than can be absorbed naturally. Global warming is driven by the cumulative total amount of CO2 we have put into the atmosphere less cumulative natural absorption.
What risk levels are associated with different levels of global warming?
2.0 degrees from pre-industrial levels — 1 to 1.5 from todays level — is a ceiling that some world organizations have viewed as troubling, but livable.